Reatta Man

Adam, Do you have a remote trunk switch in the glove compartment? If so, the vacuum line connects to the back of the switch where an electrical connector would be on a modern switch. One line is the vacuum source from the engine, and the other line goes to the trunk. Joe

As long as people will accept crap, it will be financially profitable to dispense it. - Dick Cavett

REO Speedwagon made trucks? I thought they only did rock n' roll songs..... Sorry, just couldn't resist....

If you want some insight into the problems of technical accuracy in movies, read the post Beth started about trying to find correct cars. On another note, I once went on the set of "Courage Under Fire" with Denzel Washington. They were filming the Pentagon scenes at an old Pepsi plant in Austin while I was the wing PA officer at Bergstrom AFB. The prop man comments on how authentic my uniform was (he thought I was an extra) and I politely let him know it was real. While on the set (less than 2-3 hours) I corrected at least 5 mistakes in their uniforms and military mannerisms--and I wasn't even the military advisor! I was offered a job before I left, but I politely declined.... The point is, movie production is fast-paced, very expensive to stop and make corrections, and often a director wants to get the actors "in the can" while he has them for HIS movie. Technical errors are very small, often insignificant details to them. Bottom line--we see things they don't see, whether it is a car or a military uniform. Joe

Here you go: '83 Dodge Diplomat, $1499, at Nokomis, FL:

If you can't find a Ramcharger, a Ford Bronco, GMC Jimmy or Chevy Tahoe has the same shape, and is the same size.

Also, have you spoken to the Florida Film Commission? They may have some car and truck rental listings in their office. Film In Florida - Florida Film Commission, Florida Film Office, Florida locations, Florida films, Florida Film Industry Good luck!

Beth, Depending on your budget, you may be able to pick those cars up off of ebay for what you would have paid to rent them. If they are the wrong color, Earl Scheib can provide the right colors on a budget price. Also, do all of the cars need to be running, or are they background material to set a scene? Also, try these people; they claim they have cars in all 50 states: Nationwide Picture Car Brokering Here's the Web site for North Florida MOPARS and links to Georgia clubs: North Florida Mopar Association However, as others have said, you are going to have trouble finding cars in a week. Suggest the director shoot his indoor scenes first and work around the chase and driving scenes. Joe

If it was buried in the Chicago area, it probably has unpaid parking tickets......and Chicago STILL wants its' money! Seriously, though, what would you call this instead of a barn find....a cave find?

Ask nicely if your Buick dealer can get GM to cover the converter. They have an 8 year, 80,000 mile warranty, due to EPA requirements. Since you are right on the edge of your time limit, (based upon your original in-service date) and just barely over on miles, he may be able to get you a break on price. For example, he may get GM to cover the part, and you pay the labor. Willis would probably have more experience with warranty-related issues. Good luck! Joe

Let's see if we can knock these out: 1. "Torches over idling" Do you mean it floods and then stalls? Sounds like you need a carb kit or a new carb, depending on the condition of your current carb. The 401s came with a Rochester 4GC or Carter AFB, depending on the plant and build date. I have had both on mine, and I can tell you the Carter is a better carb. If you have the Carter unit and it is in good shape, I recommend rebuilding it or taking it to a well-known, well-recommended carb shop. BEFORE you do that, I urge you take a Dremel and scribe a unique number on the body of the carb, such as your drivers license number or your name. I've heard reports of shops swapping out a good, unmolested carb with one that has been rebuilt so many times, it barely works. Make sure the shop knows that number or your name is on the body of the carb and you expect to get THAT carb back; you are not doing an exchange. 2. Missing chrome trim is going to be a Sherlock Holmes adventure. Best bet is the Buick-specific junkyards out West, or ebay. You will pay for that piece of trim becuase it is unique to your year and model, but that is the most likely way you will find it. 3. Door weatherstrip: Steele and a couple of other companies are making replacement kits for Buicks that share those pieces with other GM cars such as the much more common Impala or when the pieces are used on several GM cars. Try the Steele Web site or call them and order some catalogues. 4. Trunk lock: Do NOT force the key. On the Wildcat, the lock assembly is attached to a flat metal piece that turns the lock a few inches in from the edge of the trunk. That piece may have come off of the lock cylinder. If you have a trunk opener in the glove box that doesn't work, it is vacuum-operated and may have a broken or worn (swollen) vacuum line from the engine. If you have a hand-operated vacuum pump, you can disconnect the vacuum line from the back of the switch in the glove box, pump the vacuum down and see if the trunk opens. I would recommend you inspect it closely to see if all the pieces are intact and attached. If not, reassemble them (you might have to fabricate some clips out of strong steel wire) and keep working the assembly with the key until it opens WITHOUT closing the trunk. If you don't think you can fix it yourself, I would recommend taking it to an OLD established locksmith (the newer ones have never seen a lock like yours) and get his recommendation. Also, while at the locksmith, have him clean out the lock cylinder, replace any worn pins and make at least one extra trunk key. Hope this helps. Joe

A lot can depend on the mileage. Also, is this the regular 3800 or supercharged? Then transmisisons are different. Also, were you towing a trailer or a lot of people and luggage? Hopefully, you will clear up the condition with a fluid and filter change. Check your owner's manual and make SURE the shop uses that fluid, probably a Dexron III. Lots of shops buy cheap, bulk fluid that is not a true Dexron III fluid. Also, I would go with a simple fluid/filter change instead of a power flush. If you are having problems, you don't want a machine pushing metal particles or other debris into every part of the transmission. Many shops are pushing power flushes these days, (profit$$) but I don't like to do that to a sick transmission until you know what is causing the problem. If it still doesn't clear up, check the code. It is probably indicating a low pressure condition, or lack of signal from the valve body inside the transmission. You may get off as easy as a valve body replacement (about $500-600 at most shops) but if there are metal particles in the fluid, expect you will need at least a new torque converter or possibly a total rebuild. Depending on the mileage, and how long you plan to keep the car, shop around if you need a rebuild. STAY AWAY from any shop that doesn't offer at least a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty. Most shops today will offer 24/24 or 36/36. If they offer 30, 90 days or 6 months, RUN to another shop (they are not doing a complete rebuild if the warranty is that short.) Also, if the car has over 100-120K miles, anticipate needing a new radiator. The trans cooler may be partially clogged, leading to the overheating condition you experienced. Joe

For that age of a car, I would try ebay or junkyards. If you search ebay, be sure to have the part number. Many times, people will list something on ebay because they have the number off of the part or the box, but they have no idea which years and models it will fit. If that doesn't work, try these guys; they have an online AC-Delco catalogue: ACDelco and Motorcraft Auto Parts OE Parts Headquarters -

Just out of curiosity, what has the insurance company offered him so far? And, (I'm afraid to ask) which company is it? Whatever it is, if you think it is low, just tell the insurance adjuster you will take their offer IF THEY CAN REPLACE HIS CAR for that amount of money. And, do NOT let them "forget" to add tax and registration to their check--he has to pay that when he tries to replace the car. That is what an insurance company is SUPPOSED to do; put you back in pre-accident condition. So fi the market says THAT car was worth $3995, plus taxes and tags, and they are offering $2200, just tell them to find him a car for that price. Also PLEASE keep in mind that used car values have gone THROUGH THE ROOF lately, and they don't seem to be coming down any time soon. If it ran, had working A/C, could pass an inspection and was reasonably good looking, it is worth at least $3,000 around here. Depending on your local economy, those numbers may be high. With talk of gas hitting $3 per gallon this summer, anything small and economical is going to go up in value......

Try cars.com or autotrader.com. Find cars as close as possible to the one being appraised, including options and mileage. Then deduct about 10-20% from the asking price. That should give you a reasonable value. As for insurance values, unless this guy has 'agreed value' coverage on the car, the insurance company WILL determine what THEY call ACV, or Actual Cash Value for the car. Problem is, many insurance companies use a database that lumps all cars of a specific make and model in together. So, a low cash payout for a burned out car is averaged in with payouts for nice cars like the one you mentinoed. This means your friend will probably get a lowball estimate at first (how low depends on the company) and then he WILL have to fight to get the offer to a fair value. Best bet is to find 3-4 cars as close to identical as possible, and use those to set the retail value of the car. Good luck! Joe

Depending on your area, your classic car can be a really attractive target of thieves. Just keep in mind, all someone has to do is rent one space, and they have access to ALL of the units. Security is usually a joke; the cameras often only record the entrance/exit gate. So, if you don't know exactly when a part was stolen, you don't know which of the dozens of people coming and going could have taken something from or off of your car. Also, make SURE your insurance is in full force when storing a car there. Some companies still require the car to be stored in a locked garage ON YOUR PROPERTY. Last thing you want is to have it flooded out or stolen, then learn your insurance company had an out from paying the claim. USER BEWARE!!! Joe

Yeah, they didn't make many of them, because by the mid-90s, GM and Buick had all but given up on promoting the Skylark in any way. Lots of them went to rental fleets, even in GS and Limited trim, so look for abuse. Also, the V-6 in those cars had problems with leaking head gaskets. You might want to invest the money to have a reputable shop check the coolant for the presence of exhaust gas, which is a clear indicator the intake manifold gasket is leaking. It is a quick test and shouldn't be very expensive. But if the manifold is leaking, that engine may not be worth fixing. Good luck! Joe

It is interesting that the Caprice/Impala was considered out of date when new in the late 80's, but look at them now. If you had your choice between a 1989 Caprice or 1989 Beretta or Cavalier, there would be no choice. The Beretta and Cavalier cars are almost throw away cars compared to the larger Caprice. Proof that a large, well built, good riding dependable car will outlive a cheaply made smaller car.

After reading some of these posts, my top 10 list would turn out to be a top 50 or top 100. There just aren't a lot of 'bad' trucks out there! The fact is, as Americans, we love and appreciate trucks for the independence and freedom they offer, as well as how perfectly they fit into our history of the U.S. being a self-built country. And, the fact that many full-sized American trucks can now get 20 MPG or better means they will be around for a long, long time.....in spite of the tree huggers in DC trying to kill off anything larger than a Toyota Corolla. As for my list, I think I would have to have it divided into old and new. OLD: 1. 1970-72 Chevy and GMC short fleetside pickups with the large rear window. 2. 1964-66 Chevy and GMC fleetside with the large rear window. 3. 1979 Ford F-100 or F-150 (perfect for a shade tree high school kid; affordable, easy to work on, hard to break) 4. Any El Camino, any year. 5. 1968-76 Ford Ranchero. New: 1. 2003-4 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra (the newer ones look like Mark McGuire on steroids) 2. 2000-4 Ford F-150 (the newer ones look like Mark McGuire on steroids) 3. 1990-92 Ford Ranger 4. The Holden Ute (the modern El Camino that GM will probably never bring to the U.S.: Ute Range - Vehicles - Holden. Go better.) 5. 1989-91 Dodge Dakota convertible (Bumper sticker seen on the back of a pickup: "Yes, this IS my truck, No, I will NOT help you move this weekend.)

As far as sales go, 1965 was a banner year; and a great year for the looks of all the models offered that year. (I'm biased; I own a '65 Wildcat custom convertible).

Once again, a nice car salvaged for the 455. And, they didn't even use a 455 with a lot of horsepower! (I guess I should be glad they didn't salvage a perfect 1970 Electra).

Yes, Bill; with Dave Ramsey's plan, in a few years that $100K would look like $200K AND all of your bills would be paid off. Then you could take all of these dreams, double them (except for buying gold or giving it to the Feds.) Joe

In the days of laws requiring manditory use of car seats small children and being in the back seat due to front air bags, a four-door sporty car isn't unreasonable. You're just not going to be able to sell a restyled 1970 GS or GSX in two-door configuration to families with small children. Joe

With what the Charger and Challenger did for Dodge now clearly evident, it would make sense that the new coupe be called a Riviera. Since it would make sense for it to be called a Riviera, they will probably give it a meaningless name with absolutely no heritage....like Lucerne, Lacrosse, Rendezvous, Rainer or Terraza.

Oh, by the way, does it come in any color other than silver, gray, dark gray, titanium, or Dorian gray?